Okomito assists clients with making decisions on product and service mix in order to increase profitability.Okomito through marketing mix modelling, creates portfolios with powerful positioning, clearly defined market segmentation, competitive pricing and a feasible distribution strategy.

Communication Strategy

Okomito assist clients with creating targeted and successful communication with their customers and their environment, at the same time optimizing their marketing investments.Okomito creates efficient and quantifiable communication strategies and tactical marketing plans. It enables brand visibility, awareness and recognition by defining, prioritizing and creating the key brand touchpoints.

Okomito has developed a unique methodology of brand image development, OKOMITO BRAND NOMINATOR™ for the creation of memorable brand names and brand slogans. Okomito creates captivating visual brand identity, from logo through packaging to merchandising and sales application concepts.

Brands

Clients

Projects

Since we founded Okomito we have been part of the market success of many products and brands:

We offer Okomito clients the level of service we always desired and expected to receive while we were clients ourselves. Our clients’ success and that of their brands, is a measure of our success.

— Abilia

— Adris Group

— Aurum Doga

— bio&bio

— Biovega

— Cromaris

— Fragaria

— HGspot

— Institut IGH

— Kozmo

— Terena

— UniCredit Group

— Zagreb County

— Lamanova housing complex: Creation of a real estate product. Real estate development company Abilia is owned by the Adris Group. Abilia plans to build the Lamanova housing complex, on the outskirts of Rovinj city center. In a market characterized by limited demand for real estate, Abilia wants to hone in on potential target market segments, their demographics and how to successfully penetrate those markets. more...

— Sv. Vid housing complex: Communication strategy. Abilia real estate development company is owned by the Adris Group. Abilia developed the Sv. Vid housing complex in the city center of Rovinj. The complex consists of 4 blocks of state-of-the-art luxury apartments, designed by well-known Croatian architects. Abilia hired Okomito to create a communication strategy in order to stimulate the sale of remaining apartments. more...

— Adris Group: Strategic marketing plan; Product portfolio. Adris Group has acquired several Croatian fish farming companies with the goal of creating new manufacturing units of healthy fish consumer products. Adris Group is willing to invest in the creation and development of new product portfolios under the brand Cromaris. The fish farming business in the Adriatic Sea is one of the most complex farming operations. It takes 18 months for the sea bream and sea bass to grow. Only 42% of fish could be used in processing fillets. It is a challenge to educate the market about the advantages of farmed fish. Fish is a commodity with daily price changes, and it is challenging to be price competitive among the biggest manufacturers from Turkey and Greece, markets that benefit from the economies of scale. Okomito was asked to estimate the consumption potential and demand of the Croatian market, strategically position and create an internationally competitive product portfolio, including a pricing and distribution strategy. more...

— bio&bio: Communication strategy; Brand slogan. bio&bio is a retail chain selling 2,500 organically- certified products, including food, food supplements and cosmetics. bio&bio customers show a high level of loyalty. bio&bio intended to achieve additional growth by attracting new customers. Okomito was hired to determine guidelines for a new communication strategy aimed at attracting new customers. more...

— Ekozona: Brand strategy; Brand architecture; Verbal and visual identity; Packaging design. For more than fifteen years Biovega has imported and distributed organically-certified products, including food, food supplements and cosmetics. Biovega works with close to thirty international companies as an exclusive distributor of leading global organic brands and distributes them in health stores, herbal pharmacies and selective hypermarkets. Biovega owns bio&bio, a retail chain with ten stores in major Croatian cities, selling over 2,500 certified organic products. Although still not highly educated in the area of organic products, the Croatian market shows an increasing demand for healthy and organic food, which has motivated retailers to expand their shelves to include new healthy food products. Having a great relationship with manufacturers and a limitted number of their own retail outlets, Biovega came up with the idea of creating a house brand of organic products that would be distributed through mass retail, thus converting potential competitors to collaborators. Okomito was asked to create brand strategy for their brand Ekozona, with the objective of being widely accepted in mainstream retail. more...

— Cromaris: Branding strategy; Brand architecture; Subbrand naming. Adris Group aquired
several Croatian fish farming companies with the goal of creating a new strategic business unit dedicated to the manufacturing of healthy fish consumer products. Cenmar and Marimirna were the largest amongst the acquired companies, with existing product portfolios in the Croatian market. Adris Group is willing to invest in the creation and development of a new product portfolios under the brand Cromaris. The newly-created company has three different brands in the Croatian marekt: Cromaris, Cenmar and Marimirna.
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— Cromaris: Analysis of the German organic fish market. Cromaris is the leading producer of fresh fish and healthy fish-food products in Croatia. Owned by the Adris Group, it includes five fish farms along the Adriatic coast. Cromaris invests in the production, in the development of its product portfolio and in the development of its own brand – Cromaris. Recognizing the growing potential of the organic market, the company intends to enter the German market, with its assortment of organic fish products. Okomito investigated the potential of the German organic fish market, its size, trends and structure. more...

— Grof traditionally-made smoked ham: Brand strategy; Verbal identity; Brand naming; Brand's visual identity Zagreb County is the owner of the quality certificate of origin Product of Zagreb County, reserved for authentic, traditionally-made products from Zagreb County. The County recognized the potential of the creation of a new product and brand using the certificate Product of Zagreb County, traditionally-made smoked ham. Okomito was hired to create a name, create a brand strategy, as well as a verbal and visual identity of the brand. more...

— HGspot: Communication strategy; Brand slogan. HGspot in 2008 was a leading retailer for computers, computer support and accessories, consumer electronics, with the largest number of retail outlets. HGspot decided to leverage its strong computer retail network and extended its assortment to include home appliances. In order not to retain its loyal customers by switching from being a “specialist” to becoming a “generalist”, it was necessary to create an effective transitioning communication strategy. more...

— Spaladium Centar: Brand naming; Brand architecture; Communication strategy. A joint project, created as a public-private partnership between the City of Split and the consortium Sportski grad TPN, formed by Croatian companies Konstruktor, Institut IGH and Dalekovod, had a goal of building the largest sports-business-entertainment complex in Split, across an area of 138.000 m2, successfully manage it for thirty years and return the ownership to the City of Split. The complex encompasses a large multifunctional hall, a small sports hall, a business tower, shopping mall and shopping garage. These are five mutually- dependent entities, with different purposes, serving different target segments and usage dynamics, having different competitive environments, with difficult-to-estimate demand, and require long-term profitability. The working name had potentially negative connotations. Okomito was hired to test the viability of the working name, its potential negative conotations, to create a brand strategy, a new name and to establish brand architecture. more...

— Kozmo drugstores: Marketing strategy; Brand strategy; Brand architecture; Communication strategy. Kozmo, the largest Croatian drugstore retail chain, has been facing intense competition dominated by the international drugstore chain dm, which entered the market more than thirteen years ago and currently has more than one hundred and thirty outlets. Kozmo was created by Konzum, the largest Croatian mass retail chain and was facing challenges in light of the limited size of the Croatian market, smaller number of sales outlets, non-standardized outlet formats and the lack of its own private label brand. At the beginning of 2010, Kozmo changed ownership and went through restructuring changes. Kozmo recognized the need for a market positioning audit, category management strategy revision and a brand identity evaluation, with the goal to increase its competitiveness. Okomito was hired to thoroughly explore, research and define consumer segments, to determine those that Kozmo could attract but are not among current customers, and to determine their buying behavior, potential and assortment categories that would represent additional revenue generators. Okomito had the task of defining a new marketing and brand strategy for Kozmo.
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— Kubikon Group: Brand creation; Brand name; Brand architecture. A group of experienced and passionate entrepreneurs recognized the market opportunity for projects in real estate development, both in Croatia and internationally. In order to create a sustainable business concept, they needed a brand. Okomito created a brand strategy and a brand that encompasses an endorsing corporate brand and four other overlapping entities with different business focuses, geographies, competitive environments and target markets. The brand is positioned as the knowledge factory and the creator of market opportunities in the field of real estate development, unique for its management, people management and service. Okomito has created the brand Kubikon, including brand descriptors for the Group members. It established guidelines for the creation of a visual identity.

— Stribor prewashed ready-to-eat salads: Product portfolio strategy; Brand strategy; Brand architecture: Brand naming; Brand visual identity. Fragaria company has modern technology for the production of fruits and vegetables. Prompted by the growing trend of ready-to-eat packaged salads, Fragaria decided to launch a range of prewashed, precut and packaged salads in Croatia's large retail chains. In the environment of strong international competition in the Croatian market, Fragaria recognized the need to create a recognizable Croatian brand of „ready-to-eat“ products with the potential of portfolio expansion. Okomito was hired to create the product portfolio strategy, competitive brand strategy, brand name, visual and verbal brand identity. more...

— UniCredit Group: Implementation of the global brand strategy. Multinational strategic brand consulting company Landor created, on a global level, a brand strategy for the UniCredit Group, part of which is Zagrebacka banka in Croatia. Landor hired Okomito for the implementation of the global brand strategy, as a facilitator of the implementation in Croatia. Okomito prepared and successfully carried out workshops for the group of Zagrebacka banka's top managers.

— Zaks: Brand creation; Brand name; Brand visual identity. Family- owned company with a tradition of jewelry craftsmanship, fine jewelry stores, its own factory with innovative silver and gold modeling technique with superior Italian design, recognized the opportunity within the jewelry mass market. They have developed jewelry retail concept with stores located in large shopping malls in Croatia and the close region. Okomito created a brand for jewelry stores with internationally-sustainable brand name Zaks. The name projects family craftsmanship, tradition, trust, credibility and quality, together with refined and superior jewelry design. Okomito has developed the visual identity that reflects targeted brand attributes.

What is Okomito

Who is Okomito

Choose Okomito

Collaboration with Okomito

Okomito was founded in April 2007 as a full service marketing strategy boutique focused on growth. In Croatian, the word „okomito“ means „vertical“ and projects the concept of growth, with no limits. „Okomito“ is a gender-neutral word and, to us, signifies a respect for differences. The word itself contains soft vowels but possesses a sharp and solid meaning. Although Croatian, it is a word that is equally pronounceable in all languages. Okomito aims to become the leading strategic marketing and branding consultancy.

— Andrijana Culjak. She founded Okomito and is the Chief Strategist and Managing Director. She has more than 15 years of strategic marketing management experience in various industries, both in Croatia and abroad. Andrijana is an expert in creating internationally-renowned products, successful brands and brand innovations. She possesses solid knowledge about Central and Southeast European markets, is skilled in business development strategies and successfully solves complex business challenges. Andrijana is entrepreneurial and bold, a savvy negotiator, and skilled at creating, coaching and leading high quality teams. Prior to founding Okomito, she gained valuable experience with various companies, including: adriatica.net Group, Atlantic Group, Grey Worldwide Zagreb, OPIC/TDA/EXIM Bank, Netologic Inc., and Agrokor. She has a Degree in Economics from the University of Zagreb and holds an MBA degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management, as the US State Department Ron Brown Fellowship alumna. Andrijana is the President of the Thunderbird Chapter Croatia. She has been a guest speaker at business schools and writes articles about marketing and branding for Croatian business magazines and newspapers.

— Leah Cadavona. She joined Okomito in 2012 as Partner to lead the expansion of Okomito into the US market. Based in Los Angeles, California, she has more than 10 years experience in strategic marketing, brand management and business development, in the US and international markets. Leah is an expert in successfully launching and growing brands, and her experience spans the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Prior to joining Okomito, she founded her own marketing consultancy. Previous to that, Leah developed her strategic marketing, business development and marketing communications expertise with various companies, including JAFRA Cosmetics International, Guthy-Renker, Jungle Foods, SDI Media, Epiphany, Nexgenix and Vinoseleccion. She earned a BA in History from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. She is a member of Cosmetic Executive Women and Beauty Industry West and is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Portuguese.

— Branka Bajt. She joined Okomito in 2008 as a Partner and Brand Strategy Consultant. Branka possesses over 15 years of successful experience in marketing management and the creation of innovative sales strategies for various industries, both in Croatia and abroad. She is one of the pioneers of brand consulting in Croatia, skilled at the creation and implementation of communication strategies and business develpment practices. Branka has a deep understanding of consumer psychology and is excellent working with large teams. Prior to joining Okomito, Branka developed her talent with various companies, including: adriatica.net Group, Brandoctor, Bruketa&Zinic, Oriflame, Agrokor. She graduated with a Degree in Sociology from the University of Zagreb. She holds an MA in Marketing Management from the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb. Branka is a contributing writer about marketing and branding topics for leading Croatian business magazines and newspapers.

— Okomito Experts and Creative Team.
Based on our client's industry specifics, its brands, project scope and needs, we assemble a team of first-rate experts which creates a unique brand experience for its consumers. Okomito's team of experts and creative professionals is composed of market analysts, industry specialists, language experts, award-winning designers and creative directors with proven successful long-term domestic and international experience.

— Choose Okomito because we possess a unique combination of expertise in product development and brand creation, both on the client and advisory side. We know how difficult and demanding it is to create, launch and market a product.

— Choose Okomito because sophisticated brand strategies and superior brand design only make sense if they create consumer loyalty and increase a company's profitability. When you imagine a market that your brand aims to dominate, partner with Okomito in order to achieve that.

— Choose Okomito because we are in the business of creating a unique brand experience. We create brands whose equity is composed of an intrinsic DNA, whose traits create loyalty in the consumer’s mind. Okomito brands do not have a shelf life.

— Choose Okomito because we are marketing and sales strategists familiar with the entire business cycle and challenges that innovators, manufacturers and sales forces face. Okomito is an instant marketing strategy department that you can use according to your needs and projects.

— Choose Okomito because we are passionate about branding, original and unique, decisive and bold in setting goals and achieving results.

— Future Clients. Okomito has offices in California and Croatia, but we are mobile and will meet with you, wherever you may be. We are ready to talk about your brand. Send us a message at okomito@okomito.com and we will be pleased to contact you.
— Job in Okomito. Okomito plans to become the leading strategic branding consultancy. To make our vision come true, we are constantly looking for talented, innovative, professional and brave strategists and creative experts. If you are looking to expand the limits of brand perception, continuously entertain and thrill consumers and contribute to the development of your community and environment, contact us at okomito@okomito.com. We would love to meet you.
— Okomito Freelancers. If you are an agency focused on communication, advertising, public relations, event planning or design, or are a production studio, artist, writer or photographer, confident in your creative potential, introduce yourself to us at okomito@okomito.com. We look forward to meeting you.
— Okomito Internship. You are passionate about marketing, you do not know enough about it, you do not have a clear idea about what it looks like in the real world, you are not sure which way to go and you like what we do. Okomito offers internships for students. Contact us at okomito@okomito.com. We look forward to meeting you.

Brands we Like

What is Marketing

What is Branding

Branding Glossary

There are many brands that inspire us. Some that prove it is worth reading textbooks, and others that prove it is worth being bold, passionate and different. These are just a few of the brands we really like.

— Madonna. Our favorite brand. She is not aging with her target group but has, instead, for more than 25 years successfully kept her positioning. She constantly reinvents herself, her looks and image, in order to remain attractive to her primary target, volume generators.

— Jana. We like Jana natural artesian water because it is a pioneer of integrated branding in the Croatian market. Its starting point was clear positioning, not a communication concept. This has made Jana a lasting and sustainable brand. We are proud of Jana and all of its success.

— Nike. We like it because it is so big; bigger than the corporation that owns it. It has an invincible brand slogan: “Just do it”, which motivates every consumer regardless of his psychographic and geographic affiliation.

— Harvard. A brand that proves how determination to brand values and identity is worth every effort. For almost 375 years Harvard projects the truth “veritas” colored with its crimson red. A brand that stands for premium education and professional success.

- Marketing is the process by which you create value for the consumer through a product or service. We do not define a company by its products or services, but rather by the needs it meets. When you meet a need by creating value, you acquire the right to recover a portion of that value through your price. The process of creating and maintaining this value over an extended period of time is your marketing strategy, which is the main part of your marketing plan and which must be easily understood by all of your employees.

— A brand is a product with an identity. When we place a product on the market in such a way to differentiate it from competitive products, give the product a name, create a design, create brand values and a unique brand experience, we have created a brand.
— Branding ensures that your product or service produces long lasting profits. The aim of branding is to create the perception in the consumer’s mind that there is no other product on the market like yours. It is important to keep in mind that there is no brand that attracts everyone.
— Branding continuity and innovation ensure that consumers are willing to pay more for the brand. Promotional budgets are optimized, the perception of the product quality is improved, consumer loyalty is created, consumers, investors, suppliers and employees are motivated, and market share and profit are increased.
— Promotion is the creation of an image of a newly created identity. When you announce to the public that you own a brand and you indicate through communication touchpoints how you wish your brand to be perceived, that is promotion/advertising or, as it is often incorrectly called, marketing, while it is only a part of the marketing mix which ensures the implementation of the newly created value and identity on the market.

— Brand. Identity, name, logo, symbol, attributes, and design, all the tangible and intangible features of the product or service which make it unique in the competitive environment.
— Branding. The process of ongoing development of the brand and its identity.
— Brand Atributes. Functional and emotional associations wth a brand in the minds of consumers.
— Brand Audit. In-depth and systematic analysis and audit of brand equity, brand activities and general condition of the brand.
— Brand Awareness. A common measure of the effectiveness of brand communication as the percentage of the customer target market aware of the existence of the brand.
— Brand Culture. Strong brands are created by companies that are characterized by a strong internal brand culture that recognizes the importance of branding, and whose branding is carried out by everyone, from employees to the upper management.
— Brand Descriptor. A descriptive term by which informal, often functional, brand attributes are communicated.
— Branded Environment. The system of graphic and verbal identification applied in a three-dimensional context.
— Brand Equity. The value of the brand expressed on the balance sheet. The brand market value is the leading indicator of total brand equity.
— Brand Essence / Brand DNA. Brand essence is composed of three to five descriptive sentences that describe the atmosphere, tone, character and feeling of brand positioning.
— Brand Expansion. The exposure of a brand to a broader target customer market, geographic market, or new distribution channels.
— Brand Extension. Extension and additional brand application outside of the brand’s initial product portfolio.
— Brand Guidelines. Internal corporate tools that serve for education, motivation and incentive for all team members involved in the creation and building of the brand. Brand guidelines are crucial to establish a consistent and sustainable brand culture within the company.
— Brand Harmonization. The synchronization of all elements of brand identity, across an entire line of products belonging to the brand and in all the markets where it is present.
— Brand Identity. A group of unique functional and emotional associations which the brand wants to posses. Brand identity represents associations the brand wants to awaken in the consumers’ mind and the promises it gives to them.
— Brand Image. A set of unique associations that a brand awakens in the consumers’ mind. Brand image is an existing image and the relationship with the brand already existing in the market.
— Brand Loyalty. Brand loyalty is loyalty to the brand in comparison to similar available brands. Loyalty is usually measured by the frequency of purchase and degree of price sensitivity.
— Brand Management. Brand management is the process of managing a brand or an entire portfolio of brands in order to increase brand equity and financial value.
— Brand Mapping. A research technique used to identify and visualize the core positioning of a brand compared to its competitors.
— Brand Personality. Brand personality is represented by the brand image and brand identity expressed in terms of human characteristics.
— Brand Positioning. A specific market territory that a brand wishes to dominate in the minds of consumers.
— Brand Positioning Statement. A unique message that leads to the targeted volume generators, and serves as the basis for the communication platform.
— Brand Power. A measure of the brand’s ability to dominate its product category.
— Brand Recognition. The customers' ability to confirm prior knowledge of a brand when shown or asked about the brand characteristics. Also referred to as aided or prompted awareness.
— Brand Relevance. The alignment of a brand, its brand attributes, brand identity and brand personality with the primary needs and wants of the target audience.
— Brand Revitalisation. Changes in the marketing environment, competitors' strategies, consumer behavior; evolution of cultures and other factors that can lead to the erosion of brand equity over time and necessitate a need for brand revitalization.
— Brand Slogan. An easily recognizable and memorable brand message which helps customers remember the brand and activate brand associations.
— Brand Strategy. Long-term plan to achieve the objectives with well-developed tactics whose aim is the creation of competitive advantages to ensure long-term increase of the brand’s market value.
— Brand Value. The financial premium derived from loyal target audiences committed to a brand and willing to pay extra for the brand as compared to a generic product or service in the same category.
— Brand Value Proposition. A combination of functional, emotional, self-expressive and unique benefits and advantages, delivered by the brand that provide value to the customer.